Arming vane for aerial bomb fuses



L A n G m K M ARMING VAN-E For: AERIAL BOMB FUSES Filed March 10, 1943King nun 'LIIJhTL M. Lani- Y Archibald E -Rainhard.

Fred Schultzg azmmdzwmw Patented Mar. 18, 1947 s'r'res FFICE ArchibaldReinhard, Dover, and Fred Schnltze, Rockaway, N. J

Application March 10, 1943, Serial No. 478,656

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3700. G. 757) 11 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us ofany royalty thereon.

This invention relates to aerial bomb fuses, and more particularly, tothe arming vane for such fuses. The type of fuse to which the improvedarming vane of this invention is applicable is fully described in theBold Patent #2,190,374. A5 more fully described in the said patent, thepurpose of the arming vane is to operate the fuse mechanism after thebomb had dropped a sumcient distance from the aircraft; In the saidpatent and as heretofore used the arming vane is permanently secured inoperative position on the fuse. The object of this invention is toprovide a. fuse of the character described in which the arming vane isdetached for shipment but readily inserted in place on the fuse whenready for use. In preparing the fuse for shipment (separate from theaerial bomb) it has been necessary heretofore to use a relatively largesize carton because of the large diameter of the securedin-place armingvane compared to the fuse itself. This, in addition, required the use ofbracing or filling material to occupy the space in the container aboutthe fuse proper. By shipping the arming vane detached from the fuse, thesize of the container is reduced to the outside diameter of the fuse andthe need of bracing or filling material is obviated; the detached Vanemay be inserted in the reduced container alongside the fuse.

For the attainment of this and such other objects of invention as mayherein appear or be pointed out there is shown one embodiment of theinvention in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a sectional View of fuse with the arming vane in place takenalong the line l of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

Fig. 3 is likewise a side elevational view, but with the fuse turned 90from its position in Fig. 2 and with a portion in section the armingvane not shown;

Fig. 4 shows the arming vane in front elevation;

Fig. 5 shows a lock member, likewise in front elevation; and i Fig. 6 isa section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

In the following description of the improved arming vane, the identicalreferences used inthe 'cal member 49.

said Bold patent will be employed to refer to the same parts of the fuseinsofar as such parts are substantially duplicated in this description.The fuse comprises a casing I, threaded atone end for screwing in placein the head of the aerial bomb. The other end of the fuse casing .istapped to receive a hollow cup-shaped member to containing the mushroomhead '21 at its nose, between which and a rotatable ring 46, are thesegmentary locking blocks '68. The firing pin is designated 20. Therotatable ring 46, upon rotation, actuates mechanism releasing thesegmentary blocks 68, as in the said Bold patent, 2,190,374, permittingfunctioning of the fuze upon impact. The rotatable ring 46 is formed of-an nular members 41 and 48 threaded onto cylindri- As seen in Figure 3,annular member .41 has an annular shoulder '50 of smaller outsidediameter than the rest of member 41, whereby, as members 41 and 4-8 arebrought close together, an annular groove I9 remains between abuttingfaces of members 41 and 48 and the outside surface of shoulder 50.

The improved propeller of this invention, designated 30, is slipped inplace sidewise in annular groove 19 in the periphery of the rotatablering, for which reason the propeller has an open mouth A, the two wingsof the propeller being integral with an arcuate neck 3|. For the purposeof holding the propeller securely in place, a locking member I0,fabricated of spring plate or thin sheet of a suitable springy material,is provided in said annular groove, the locking member having a centralaperture H through which the cylindrical member 49 is receivable. Toassemble the lockingmember ,llI to the fuse, the members 2!, 68 and 41are removed and the locking mem ber I0 placed on member 49 in encirclingrelation thereto. The members 2|, 68 and 41 are then reassembled to thefuse, and, as shown in Figure 3, the member 47 is turned tightly so thatits reduced shoulder 50 bears against locking member Ill whichis thussecured firmly between shoulder Eli and member 48. The propeller vane 30is then receivable in the remaining groove 19 which is shown in Figure 3without the propeller 3B, and Figure 2 shows the propeller 39 in placein groove I9. As best seen in Figure 1, the arouate inner surfaceportion of the propeller 3B is thus in embracing contact with theperipheral surface of shoulder 50. The members Iii, 3t, 41, 48 and 49when thuslocked together, .form a rotatable member or unit.Lockingmember H] has an arm l2 bent out of the plane of the center ringportion, see Figs. 5 and 6, which bent arm has an aperture l3 at itsdistal end, preferably elongated as shown. An L-shaped stationary member4 is secured to the fuse casing I with its upright leg 2 in parallelismwith the distal portion of bent arm l2. The distal end of leg 2 ofstationary member 4 is provided with an aperture 3 which, when thelocking member is turned (with the propeller secured thereto) intoangular coincidence with the saidstationary leg 2,will align with theaperture 13 of the locking member If). The arming wire (not shown) ispassed through the two apertures |3-3 (for ,a purpose fully explained inthe said Bold patent) Locking member It] is provided with aninwardly-turned tab [5 tongued out of the plate constituting the lockingmember (to the right in Fig. 3), which tab is receivable in a depression45, to hold the locking member against turning. For the purpose ofsecurely holding the propeller, locking member ID is also provided witha pair of tongued tabs [6, shown in Fig. 5, on each side of the tab' l5.As shown in Figs. 6 andfi, the tabs 16 are turned in a directionopposite to that of single tab 15. For the said purpose of propellersecurement the locking member I is further provided with a fork-likeextension i1, diametrically opposed to its bent arm l2. Fork extensionl! is provided, as best shown in Fig, with a finger I8, one on eachside, which fingers are turned up, Fig. 6, in the same direction as thesaid pair of tabs l6. Lastly, the propeller is provided on both sides ofits mouthed slot A, see Fig. 4, with a pair of projections 36, whichcooperate with the pair of tabs l6, as shown in Fig. 1.

The propeller is slipped into place in the annular groove from the sideof the locking member ID provided with the forked member l1, see Fig. 3.In entering in this manner, see Fig. 3, the propeller, moreparticularly, its sides defining the mouth A, Fig. 4, presses the twofingers [3 of the forked member l1 (back into the plane of H and thelocking member in general) out of the way, the fingers snapping backinto position projecting out of the said plane (as shown in Fig. 3) inthis position the spring fingers iii are effective to preventbacking-off of the propeller, i. e., to the left as shown in Fig. 1. Thesaid two projections 36 of the propeller hub abut against the two tabsl6, see Fig. 1, to stop movement of the propeller in the other direction(to the right) and also serve to center the propeller in positionangularly. The tabs 16 and the tab also serve to create axial pressureas the propeller is pushed home into position (as just described) whichspring pressure causes a firm securement of the propeller 3n and itslocking member ID, in the recess or annular groove provided in rotatablering 46.

We claim:

1. In an aerial bomb fuse of the type in which segmentary blocks arereleasably retained in a ring formation, said fuse having a rotatingmember for actuating mechanism releasing said blocks, said rotatingmember providing an annular recess, the said parts being held in a fusecasing provided with a projecting lug apertured at its distal end forthe arming wire, the combination of a two-wing propeller, the opposedwings being connected by a semi-circular arcuate neck presenting an openmouth, the said connecting neck terminating in rounded points on bothsides of the said mouth opening, and a locking member in the form of acenter ring provided 4 with three tongued out tabs, the said connectingneck of the propeller being removably, and the said center ring of thelocking member being permanently, received in the said annular recess,one of the facing walls of the recess being provided with a depressionfor receiving one of the said tongued out tabs, the other pair of thesaid tabs disposed on either side of the said tab being tongued out inthe direction opposite to the said single tab, the said locking memberbeing further provided with a fork-like member projecting from its saidcenter ring provided at its distal end with a pair of tines pressed outof the plane of the said fork member and said center ring in thedirection of tonguing of the saidpairof ring tabs, the said propellerbeing adapted to be slipped over the said pair of pressedout tines andto depress them into the said plane of the fork-like member and thecenter ring, the said depressed tines snapping behind the said arcuateneck of the propeller to hold the same against withdrawal in theopposite direction, the said pair of rounded points on opposite sides ofthe open mouth of the propeller being adapted toabut the respective onesof the said pair of tongued tabs of the center ring, whereby thepropeller is centered in place relative to the center ring and the saidrecess, the said center ring of the locking member being furtherprovided with an arm bent to present its distal portion parallel to thesaid lug of the fuse casing and provided with a distal aperture alignedwith the aperture of the said lug, whereby the arming wire may bereceived through the said pair of aligned apertures.

2. In an aerial bomb fuse of the type in which segmentary blocks arereleasably retained in a ing formation, said fuse having a rotatingmember for actuating mechanism releasing said blocks, said rotatingmember providing an annular recess, the said parts being held in a fusecasing provided with a projecting lug apertured at its distal end forthe arming wire, the combination of a two-wing propeller, the opposedwings being connected by a semi-circular arcuate neck presenting an openmouth, and a locking member in the form of a center ring provided withthree tongued out tabs, the said connecting neck of the propeller beingremovably, and the said center ring of the locking member beingpermanently, received in the said annular recess, one of the facingwalls of the recess being provided with a depression for receiving oneof the said tongued out tabs, the other pair of the said tabs disposedon either side of the said tab being tongued out in the directionopposite to the said single tab, the said locking member being furtherprovided with a fork-like member projecting from its said center ringand provided at its distal end with a pair of tines pressed out of theplanes of the said fork member and said center ringin the direction oftonguing of the said pair of ring tabs, the said propeller being adaptedto be slipped over the said pair of pressed-out tines and t depress theminto the said plane of the fork-like member and the center ring, thesaid depressed tines snapping behind the said arcuate neck of thepropeller to hold the same against withdrawal in the opposite direction,the said center ring of the locking member being further provided withan arm bent to present its distal portion parallel to the said lug 0fthe fuse casing and provided with a distal aperture alignedwith theaperture of the said lug, whereby the arming wire may be receivedthrough the said pair of aligned apertures.

3. In an aerial bomb fuse of the type in which segmentary blocks arereleasably retained in a ring formation, said fuse having a rotatingmember for actuating mechanism releasing said blocks, said rotatingmember providing an annular recess, the said parts being held in a fusecasing provided with a projecting lug apertured at its distal end forthe arming wire, the combination of a two-Wing propeller, the opposedwings being connected by a semi-circular arcuate neck presenting an openmouth, and a locking member in the form of a center ring provided withtongued out tabs, the said connecting neck of the propeller beingremovably, and the said center ring of the locking member beingpermanently, received in the said annular recess, one of the facingwalls of the recess being provided with a depression for receiving oneof the said tongued out tabs, other of the said tabs being tongued outin the direction opposite to the first said tab, the said locking memberbeing further provided with a fork-dike member projecting from its saidcenter ring and provided at its distal end with a pair of tines pressedout of the plane of the said fork member and said center ring in thedirection of tonguing of the second said ring tabs, the said propellerbeing adapted to be slipped over the said pressed-out tines and todepress them into the said plane of the forklike member and the centerring, the said depressed tines snapping behind the said arcuate neck ofthe propeller to hold the same against withdrawal in the oppositedirection, the said center ring of the locking member being furtherprovided with an arm bent to present its distal portion parallel to thesaid lug of the fuse casing and provided with a distal aperture alignedwith the aperture of the said lug, whereby the arming wire may bereceived through the said pair of aligned apertures.

4. In an aerial bomb fuse of the type in which segmentary blocks arereleasably retained in a ring formation, said fuse having a rotatingmember for actuating mechanism releasing said blocks, said rotatingmember providing an annular recess, the said parts being held in a fusecasing provided with a projecting lug apertured at its distal end forthe arming wire, the combination of a two-wing propeller, the opposedwings being connected by a semi-circular arcuate neck presenting an openmouth, the said connecting neck terminating in rounded points on bothsides of the said mouth opening, and a locking member in the form of acenter ring provided with tongued out tabs, the said connecting neck ofthe propeller being removably, and the said center ring of the lockingmember being permanently, received in the said annular recess, one ofthe facing walls of the recess being provided with a depression forreceiving one of the said tongued out tabs, other of the said tabs beingtongued out in the direction opposite to the first said tab, the saidlocking member being further provided with a fork-like member projectingfrom its said center ring and provided at its distal end with a pair oftines pressed out of the plane of the said fork member and said centerring in the direction of tonguing of the said second ring tabs, the saidpropeller being adapted to he slipped over the said pressed-out tinesand to depress them into the said plane of the fork-like member and thecenter ring, the said depressed tines snapping behind the said arcuateneck of the propeller to .hold the same against withdrawal in theopposite direction, thesaid pair of rounded points on opposite sides ofthe open mouth of the propeller being adapted to abut the respectiveones of the said pairof tongued tabs of the center ring, whereby thepropeller is centered in place relative to the center ring and the saidrecess, the said center ring of the locking member being furtherprovided with an arm bent to present its distal portion parallel to thesaid lug of the fuse casing and provided with a distal aperture alignedwith the aperture of the said lug, whereby the arming wire may bereceived through the said pair of aligned apertures.

5. In an aerial bomb fuse of the type in which segmentary blocks arereleasably retained in a ring formation, said fuse having a rotatingmember for actuating mechanism releasing said blocks, said rotatingmember providing an annular recess, the said parts being held in a fusecasing provided with a projecting lug apertured at its distal end forthe arming wire, the combination of a two-wing propeller, the opposedwings being connected by a semi-circular arcuate neck presenting an openmouth, the said connecting neck terminating in rounded points on bothsides of the said mouth opening, and a locking member in the form of acenter ring provided with tongued out tabs, the said connecting neck ofthe propeller being removably, and the said center ring of the lockingmember being permanently, received in the said annular recess, the saidlocking member being further provided with a fork-like member projectingfrom its said center ring and provided at its distal end with a pair oftines pressed out of the plane of the said fork member and said centerring in the direction of tonguing of the said ring tabs, the saidpropeller being adapted to be slipped over the'said pressed-out tinesand to depress them into the said plane of the fork-like member and thecenter ring, the said depressed tines snapping behind the said arcuateneck of the propeller to hold the same against withdrawal in theopposite direc-' tion, the said pair of rounded points on opposite sidesof the open mouth of the propeller being adapted to abut the saidtongued tabs of the center ring, whereby the propeller is centered inplace relative to the center ring and the said recess, the said centerring of the locking member being further provided with an arm bent topresent its distal portion parallel to the said lug of the fuse casingand provided with a distal aperture aligned with the aperture of thesaid lug, whereby the arming wire may be received through the said pairof aligned apertures.

6. In an aerial bomb fuse of the type in which segmentary blocks arereleasably retained in a ring formation, said fuse having a rotatingmemher for actuating mechanism releasing said blocks, said rotatingmember providing an annular recess, the said parts being held in a fusecasing provided with a projecting lug apertured at its distal end forthe arming wire, the combination of a two-wing propeller, the opposedwings being connected by a semi-circular arcuate neck presenting an openmouth, and a locking member in the form of a center ring, the saidconnecting neck of the propeller being removably, and the said centerring of the locking member being permanently, received in the saidannular recess, the said locking member being further provided with afork-like member projecting from its said center ring and. provided atits distal end with a pair of tlnespressed out of the plane of the saidfork member and said center ring, the said propeller being adapted to beslipped over the said pressed-out tines and to depress them into thesaid plane of the fork-like member and the center ring, the saiddepressed tines snapping behind the said arcuate neck of the propellerto hold the same against the withdrawal in the opposite direction, thesaid center ring of the looking member being further provided with anarm bent to present its distal portion parallel to the said lug of thefuse casing and provided with a distal aperture aligned with theaperture of the said lug, whereby the arming wire may be receivedthrough the said pair of aligned apertures.

1. In combination, a fixed member having a rotating member pivotedthereon and a separable member removably affixed to said rotatingmember, said rotating member providing an annular recess forming a seatfor said separable member, said separable member having a hub includingarms received in said recess removably embracing said rotating memberand providing a central opening presenting an open face on the sidethereof, stop means preventing relative rotation between said rotatingmember and said separable member and a detent retaining said separablemember in seated position upon said rotating member.

8. In combination, a fixed member having a rotating member pivotedthereon and a separable member removably affixed to said rotatingmember, said rotating member providing an annular recess forming a seatfor said separable member, said separable member having a hub includingarms received in said recess removably embracing said rotating memberand providing a central opening presenting an open face on the sidethereof, said rotating member having stop means engaging said separablemember preventing relative rotation therebetween, and a retractabledetent carried by said rotating member engaging said separable member toretain the latter in 'seated position upon said rotating member.

9. In an aerial bomb fuse of the type described, in combination, a fusecasing having a rotating member pivoted thereon and a propellerremovably affixed to said rotating member, said rotating member havingan annular recess forming a seat for said propeller, said propellerhaving a hub including arms received in said recess removably embracingsaid rotating member and providing a central opening presenting an openface on the side thereof, said rotating member having stop meansengaging said hub preventing relative rotation therebetween, and aretractable detent carried by said rotating member engaging said hub toretain said propeller in seated position upon said rotating member.

10. In combination, a fixed member having a rotating member pivotedthereon and a separable member removably aflixed to said rotatingmember, said rotating member providing an annular recess forming a seatfor said separable member, said separable member having a hub includingarms received in said recess removably embracing said rotating memberand providing a central opening presenting an open face on the sidethereof, a locking member in the form of a ring received in said recessbetween said hub and one wall of said recess, means securing saidlocking member to said rotating member and meanssecuring said lockingmember to said separable member preventing relative rotation betweensaid separable member, said locking member and said rotating member,said locking member having a detent engaging the hub of said separablemember to retain the latter in seated position on said rotating member.

11. In a fuse of the type described, in combination, a fuse casinghaving a rotating member pivoted thereon and a propeller removablyaffixed to said rotating member, said rotating member having an annularrecess forming a seat for said propeller, said propeller having a hubincluding arms received in said recess removably embracing said rotatingmember and providing a central opening presenting an open face on theside thereof, a locking member in the form of a central ring received insaid recess, means providing a depression in the side wall of saidrecess adjacent said locking member and a projection upon said lockingmember engaged with the side walls of said depression, a pair of raisedfingers carried by said locking member engaged the ends of said arms ofsaid propeller hub, whereby said propeller is prevented from rotatingrelatively to said rotating member, and a spring detent carried by saidlocking member engaging the hub of said propeller to retain the latterin seated position upon said rotating member.

JOHN M. KING.

LEO F. YOUNG. ARCHIBALD E. REINHARD. FRED SCHULTZE,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,190,374 Bold Feb, 13, 1940888,575 Barth et a1 May 26, 1908 1,260,562 McIntosh Mar. 26, 1918355,124 Birkholz Dec. 28, 1886

